I was reluctant to start blogging but I love reading and I've really enjoyed reviewing books, just as I hope you've enjoyed reading my reviews and entries. So many things have happened in just nine months!
Since February I reviewed 74 books (and I really do read them all). Considering that I took the entire month of August off, I averaged 9.25 books per month; a nice number but not as good as I had hoped. I read and didn't review another dozen or so books that I just didn't get a chance to review. Some months it seems that I "blogged" more than reviewed, but that's what blogs are for!
I've had a lot of "firsts" in the last nine months. The first book I reviewed was BRINGING HOME THE BIRKIN by Michael Tonello and it's still one of my favorites. The first time an author left me a message on my blog and linked me to his was when I reviewed CRASHERS by Dana Haynes. I was lucky enough to have my first author interview with Bryan Gruley after reviewing his book THE HANGING TREE. I reviewed my first children's book, THINK LIKE A GOAT? after meeting one of the co-authors, Stephanie Mitcham, while playing Scrabble on line. Monarch Book Reviews was first linked to an author's blog when Danielle Evans, author of BEFORE YOU SUFFOCATE YOUR OWN FOOL SELF, quoted my comments word for word. In April I was linked to the RECORDER NEWSPAPERS for the first time and met the lovely lady in charge of their blogs on their web page, Pat Anderson. Many thanks to all!
Not every "first" was wonderful. In February, just a short time after starting Monarch Book Reviews, Mark Gaskill left me a scathing comment, accusing me of "being bitter, being a failed writer and having a mean-streak" after he read my review of FIFTY GRAND by Adrian McKinty. My intention is to not hurt anyone, but simply to be honest in offering my opinion.
Overall, these past nine months have been a wonderful and exciting experience for me and I hope you've enjoyed visiting the blog. I'm currently working on my second author interview which I hope to post before the holidays. I've got a surprise planned for visitors to Monarch Book Reviews and I'll be posting more information about it later this week so be sure to check back. I haven't blogged through the holiday season yet, so we'll get to navigate that hectic time together.
Thank you for visiting my blog and keep your comments coming; I love hearing from each of you! You can add a comment to any of my posts by clicking on the word "comment" following the review or blog entry, or feel free to email me at lynnkimmerle@aol.com, even if it's just to say "hello"!
We're entering that time of year when there's nothing better than curling up with a good book, so take a few minutes for yourself and happy reading everyone!
Loved the blog. What an exciting time for you with all the firsts from the last nine months. I do hope you are keeping a journal of all of this so when you are a reviewer for the New York Times, you can publish your memoir with all the stages it took to get there.
ReplyDeleteI do enjoy the blogs as much as the reviews. It just makes me wish I had more hours to read... especially the last paragraph of settling in with a good book on a cold, wintery day! Keep up the good work. :)
Who would have thought! How exciting!
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